Christmas getaway under threat by 80mph winds as Met Office warns of travel disruption

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People joining the Christmas getaway this weekend are being warned of heavy rain and winds of up to 80mph that are likely to cause travel disruption. Millions of journeys are expected to be made across the country by car [1], in what the RAC breakdown service said could be a "pretty exhausting experience" for travellers due to the "wet and windy" conditions.

And it did not start well for many on Friday with hold-ups on many of the country's main routes. They included motorists on the M5 who were stuck in 90-minute queues after hay bales on the back of a lorry caught fire near Exeter. The incident closed two of four southbound lanes between J30 for Exeter and J31 for Shillingford Abbot and came at the same time there were queues caused by a crash on the M4 near Bristol and congestion around Dartford Bridge on the M25.

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Manchester Airport expects a record number of passengers on 25 December, handling 25,000 passengers ((AP Photo/Charles Krupa))

Drivers are being warned to avoid travelling on major routes [2] for six hours on Saturday to avoid the worst Christmas getaway traffic.

The RAC and transport analytics company Inrix said roads are likely to be busiest between 1pm and 7pm on those days. It comes ahead of expected weather disruption to travel with a yellow warning issued by the Met Office for wind in the North West and the North East, Scotland and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.

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The yellow weather warning for win on Sunday (PA Wire)

Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph. The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, meteorologists said, but the weather will be "exceptionally mild" by Christmas Day.

The winds have already forced the closure of the M48 Severn Bridge between England and Wales this weekend. The Met Office said: "The strongest winds are expected across the far north of Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts in excess of 80mph in coastal districts including Orkney. "Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially in respect to causeways.

This period of strong winds may lead to some transport disruption, including ferry delays or cancellations. Showers could turn to several centimetres of snow on the hills in the north-west of Scotland from Saturday evening into Sunday. Some sleet, snow and hail may fall at lower levels and produce icy conditions by Sunday morning.

The RAC has predicted the hotspots for traffic this weekend will be on both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via M25 and M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.

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Traffic on the M3 motorway near Basingstoke during wet weather (PA Wire)

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis urged caution, saying: "With the weekend bringing a mix of strong winds along with heavy, and in some places wintry, showers, it's going to make many of the estimated seven million getaway trips by car a pretty exhausting experience." Winds are expected to ease by Monday but cloud and rain are expected to move in with increased temperatures. As a result, "crisp blue skies and snow on the ground" are "decidedly unlikely" over Christmas, the Met Office said.

The UK's biggest airports are also expecting record-breaking passenger numbers over the festive season. The Independent predicts these will be the busiest days:

Heathrow: Friday 20 December (outbound); Friday, Saturday and Sunday 3/4/5 January (inbound).
Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted: Saturday and Sunday 21/22 December (outbound); Saturday and Sunday 4/5 January (inbound). The intermediate weekend, 28/29 December, will be very busy.
Luton: Friday 20 December (outbound); Fridays 27 December and 3 January (inbound).

Christmas Day will be busier than ever at major UK airports.

Manchester Airport expects a record number of passengers on 25 December, handling 25,000 passengers.

References

^ are expected to be made across the country by car (www.independent.co.uk)
^ warned to avoid travelling on major routes (www.independent.co.uk)